ATLAST Computer Exercises for Linear Algebra

Edited by Steven Leon, Eugene Herman, and Richard Faulkenberry
Prentice-Hall, 1997

The ATLAST collection of computer exercises represents the best creative efforts of the more than 350 faculty members who participated in the thirteen ATLAST workshops offered between 1992 and 1995. Workshop participants designed computer exercises and projects suitable for use in undergraduate linear algebra courses. From the entire ATLAST database of materials, the editors have selected a comprehensive set of exercises covering all aspects of the first course in linear algebra. Each chapter is divided into two sections. The first section consists of shorter exercises and the second section consists of longer projects.

The computer exercises are all based on MATLAB. A unique feature of MATLAB is that it is the only major mathematical software package that is based almost entirely on matrices. A collection of MATLAB routines (M-files) has been developed to accompany this book. Many of these routines are designed to give visual illustrations of important linear algebra concepts such as coordinate systems, linear transformations, and eigenvalues. Other M-files illustrate visual applications such as using linear transformations for computer animations or using matrix factorizations for digital imaging. Still other M-files can be used to generate special structured matrices. Students are then challenged to discover properties of the special matrices.

The entire collection of ATLAST M-files can be obtained from the ATLAST Web page:

http://www.umassd.edu/SpecialPrograms/Atlast/Mfiles/Mfiles.html

These files are required for many of the exercises and projects in the book. The collection of files will be updated and expanded a few times a year; so check this web page periodically for the latest versions. Of the sixty M-files currently in the collection some of the more interesting files to preview are:

  1. Transfor - a utility for visualizing linear transformations
  2. Cogame - a utility for visualizing linear combinations and coordinate systems in the plane
  3. Eigshow - a utility for visualizing eigenvalues and eigenvectors of 2x2 matrices
  4. Pyr - a utility for studying rotations in three space by examining the pitch, yaw, and roll of an airplane
  5. Svdshow - a utility for visualizing the singular value decomposition of a 2x2 matrix
The ATLAST book has computer lab projects for each of these utilities. To take full advantage of the ATLAST M-files they should be used in conjunction with the exercises and projects in the ATLAST book.

The book is available as an inexpensive paperback manual that can be used in conjunction with any of the standard linear algebra textbooks. Anticipated list price should be about $12 or $13 depending on the markup at your bookstore. This price may go up by a few dollars in Fall 1998.

Super Bargain: Prentice-Hall is offering a 50% discount if the manual is adopted along with one of the Prentice-Hall linear algebra texts.

Super Super Bargain: The manual is available for free if adopted for Spring 1998 in conjunction with

Linear Algebra with Applications, 5th ed., by Steven J. Leon.

To receive the two book package at the bargain rate order both using the single
         ISBN 0-13-907858-4  
The package may be ordered with this ISBN after Spring 1998, however, there will be a
nominal charge of a few dollars for the ATLAST book added to the package price.

Unlike other manuals of computer exercises, the ATLAST collection is a massive collaboration representing a wide variety of views.

ATLAST is an NSF sponsored project.

To ATLAST Project Forum

Created on: January 6, 1996 (asb)
Modified on: August 20, 1997 (sjl)